The Brezhnev years are known as the [[Era of Stagnation]] and marked by rampant corruption. He was reported to have died in 1978, but Soviet doctors resuscitated him and his cognitive abilities never quite returned. In his final years, as his mental faculties failed, a common joke circulated about him and his chief-of-staff [[Konstantin Chernenko]]: "Brezhnev is dead, only Chernenko hasn't informed him yet." He died November 10, 1982 and was succeeded by [[Yuri Andropov]] for 15 months until Andropov, who then was succeeded by Chernenko for 13 months until Chernenko died, who then was succeed by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] for six years until the Soviet Union died. | The Brezhnev years are known as the [[Era of Stagnation]] and marked by rampant corruption. He was reported to have died in 1978, but Soviet doctors resuscitated him and his cognitive abilities never quite returned. In his final years, as his mental faculties failed, a common joke circulated about him and his chief-of-staff [[Konstantin Chernenko]]: "Brezhnev is dead, only Chernenko hasn't informed him yet." He died November 10, 1982 and was succeeded by [[Yuri Andropov]] for 15 months until Andropov, who then was succeeded by Chernenko for 13 months until Chernenko died, who then was succeed by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] for six years until the Soviet Union died. |